


Stuck in the Middle With You

by wovenlaine



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Not romance-centric, Other, Short Chapters, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Tags will be updated, Texting, but still in zadash, group chats, might be eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wovenlaine/pseuds/wovenlaine
Summary: Apt. 6a is Fjord (as far as Caleb knows there is no last name, though he often hears "Fjord Tough") and his  roommate Beauregard. Apt 6b is Jester Lavorre and Calianna, Apt 6c is Yasha and Mollymauk Tealeaf, and Apt. 6d is himself and Nott. The fabulous Mighty Nine.-Caleb moves in with a new friend, makes some more new friends with some weird dynamics, and doesn't know how he feels about it. He'll warm up eventually.





	1. the mighty "nine"

 

 

_It takes only a few weeks after Caleb moves in with Nott for him to become, in his opinion, far too intimately acquainted with the 'Mighty Nine'. Their beloved group nickname makes zero sense to him and with none of the group willing to explain, he starts to think that perhaps he doesn't want to know. The 'Mighty Nine' is composed of Nott's friends and also the other people who live on the same floor of their apartment complex. It only took Caleb a day to be dragged to each door and introduced._

          _Apt. 6a is Fjord (as far as Caleb knows there is no last name, though he often hears "Fjord Tough") and his roommate Beauregard. Apt 6b is Jester Lavorre and Calianna, Apt 6c is Yasha and Mollymauk Tealeaf, and Apt. 6d is himself and Nott. The fabulous Mighty Nine._

 

         Caleb wakes to the incessant vibrating of his phone. He silenced it in hopes of tuning out the M9 group chat but found that the vibrations weren't any better than the beeping. He had a few guesses as to what the early morning topic could be, the options were usually limited so it wasn't hard to guess. _Movies, Romance, Fights_ , and _Parties_ were the typical genres.

 

-  ** _breauregard_ [9:18 AM]:** jes i really don't know what you want this early but you texted me and the groupchat the same thing

 

          He rubs the blur from his eyes and sweeps his hair back, grabbing his phone hastily.

 

-  ** _schmusebärchen_ [9:19 AM]:** yes i would like to know too

 

          Caleb checks the only other unread message on his phone.

 

\- _from: **JeSTAR**_ **[9:16 AM]:** hey hey hey

 

          There are only so many things it could be about knowing Jester, but if she's texting everyone Caleb can only hope it actually involves him. He closes his eyes against the muddy grey light seeping through the curtains and throws his arm over his face. His phone only goes off a few more times.  _Movies, definitely movies,_  Caleb thinks to himself, letting himself doze for a while longer.

 

- ** _JeSTAR_ [9:19 AM]:** we're having a party at the lake

\- **_JeSTAR_ [9:20 AM]:** i had a dream last night

- ** _JeSTAR_ [9:20 AM]:** and im declaring it as of right now

\- _**ford** **tuff**_ **[9:21 AM]:** If we say yes will you stop destroying my phone

\- **_JeSTAR_ [9:22 AM]:** ofc

\- _**ford** **tuff**_ **[9:23 AM]:** Sounds like a plan

\- **_breauregard_ [9:23 AM]:** yes to the dream lake party

\- **_goblincore_ [9:23 AM]:** yes thank god

\- **_goblincore_ [9:24 AM]:** also yes on calebs behalf

- _**Lady** **Thor**_   **[9:24 AM]:** Quiet please. Also, yes.

\- _**purple** **based** **god**_   **[9:24 AM]:**  Love you Jes 

 

         _Okay, so not movies,_ Caleb thinks, fumbling out of bed,  _but still trivial._  He almost never checks his phone, and when he finally does it usually ends up being something pointless like this. He slips out of his old cotton pajama pants and into his (also old) everyday clothes. His dark brown corduroy pants and a white tunic style v-neck have served him well, what's the point in buying brand new clothes when he has perfectly good ones right there in his dresser? He pulls his phone from the charger and checks the now eerily silent chat one more time before stowing it away in his coat pocket. He might as well head to Mollymauk and Yasha's apartment early since he knew that's where he would find Jester and that she would certainly be there early. Far too early.

 

\- **_schmusebärchen_ [9:31 AM]:** :3

\- **_JeSTAR_ [9:31 AM]:** who taught you that

\- **_JeSTAR_ [9:33 AM]:** caleb


	2. Addressing the Party Court

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> group antics & jester is the party queen

          Mollymauk hisses as his toes meet the cool tile of their kitchen. He always tells himself to put socks on before he leaves his bedroom and promptly forgets as soon as he rolls out of bed. Molly rushes, hopping quickly to the cupboard and snatching the first glass he sees and then hopping to the fridge for water, and then fumbles his way out of the kitchen balancing his full glass in one hand. He lets out a sigh when his feet sink into the carpet that covers the rest of their apartment and pads back to his room. He can hear Yasha humming to herself in the shower, grinning to himself when he pictures the top of her wild hair poking out from over the curtain.

          The sound of the curtains sliding back and the door opening signals for Mollymauk to come bounding into the steamy bathroom and right to the mirror just as naked as the day he was born. There were few boundaries between them, having been friends for as long as they can remember. Yasha, completely accustomed to this, smiles to herself and steps out of the shower. She sprays something in her hair and wraps it up in a towel, watching Molly preen in the mirror fondly. How Yasha keeps her hair so wild is really quite a mystery to the rest of the nine.

          "Molly," Her voice rumbles low with the disuse of sleep,

          " _Molly._ "

          He grins in the mirror and looks at Yasha, "Yes, darling?"

          "We need to be ready soon, you know Jester will be here early."

 _Lot's of words for her this early in the morning._  Mollymauk thinks amusedly. He throws his hair into a braid and washes his face, striding out just as enthusiastically as he had come in.

          Molly reaches for a lighter and lights the incense waiting in the holder on his way into his room, lighting it as a force of habit. Sweet lavender smoke fills his room as he rummages through clothes and picks something to put on. Not necessarily his party clothes, but something striking nonetheless. He props a window open, letting some of the collected smoke billow out and slides into his boots. Yasha knocks on his door about an hour later. Without any further communication, he barges out of his room and into their small sitting room to find Jester and Yasha in rapid conversation. Well, it was mostly Jester babbling on and Yasha smiling and interjecting here and there. Molly glances at Yasha's smile again, just the corners of her mouth upturned gently, and beams at them both when they finally notice him standing there.

         "Yes! There you are!" Jester grins and launches herself at Molly. He catches her deftly and sweeps her up into the air as if they've been reunited after years apart. When in reality it's been maybe 12 hours. Jester cackles and kisses Molly's cheek as he sets her down and swiftly steals her spot on the sofa. She pouts for a moment before settling down in Yasha's lap and it takes only a few moments for Yasha to find herself with her hands in Jester's hair, twisting small braids here and there.

         "Jester it's still pretty early, you know." Molly murmurs into the peaceful morning atmosphere.

         "Yeah, yeah I know! I thought we could start planning now."

         "Are we making those plans for today? It's short notice."

         "Molly since when do you care about short notice parties. It's still a party."

         Jester's laugh cuts through the quiet, clear as a bell. Molly chuckles along with her, "Don't call me out like that." And then it's Yasha's turn to laugh a little under her breath. They stay like that for an hour or so, Jester in Yasha's lap dozing off here and there and Molly gently embroidering some floral pattern into a handbag. Eventually, the sound of muffled voices travels up the hallway towards their door. The low, tired voice of a man and the quiet but shrill voice of someone very small gave away their identities pretty easily.

        "Okay so, she's a member of the Nine but... She's not a _member_  of the Nine?"

        "Caleb it's not that complex. She's a part of the group but like... uh. Nevermind I understand why you would be confused."

        "Ja."

        Molly looks over as their door is opened and Caleb tentatively enters, Nott only a few steps behind. It's easy to tell Caleb hasn't been as close to anyone as this group is with each other, and is still getting used to inviting himself into their apartments. Molly smiles lightly up at the pair and pats the seat next to him. "You two are early." He jokes, fully understanding that Caleb and Nott didn't want their phones blowing up for the next two hours  _at least._  "Ja, I suppose." Caleb small talks rigidly, staring into his palms in his lap. He was never one for idle chat, perhaps why he found Yasha's company so pleasant. Molly laughs to himself, having a similar thought.

        The tired tension breaks as the day inches on. Eventually, Beau and Fjord walk in, Beau slamming the door so hard the doorknob rattles against the wall when she opens it. Soon after, Calianna finds her way to the apartment looking flustered and mumbling something about being the last one there. Jester sets her sights on being the Party Commander and sends everyone off on their Party Duties. 

        "Jester the alcohol funds are on you. You can't just send me out on booze duty and expect me to pay for it out of my pocket." Beau groans, grabbing desperately for Jester's pink handbag as she's shoved out the door. "I'll pay you back!" Jester shouts after Beau, waving at her from the doorway. Caleb is still sitting next to Mollymauk and Nott, making quiet conversation and trying to avoid being sent off on a mission. He squints suspiciously when Nott leans forward on her knees and whispers something to Molly, covering her mouth. Caleb opens his mouth to question when Nott jumps up, bare feet on the couch.

        "Oh Party Commander, your highness! Please assign me and my fellow party peasants a task!" She shouts, pointing valiantly to the ceiling.

        "Why of course, mere party peasantry!" Jester grins toothily while Caleb covers his face with his hand and grumbles. He's found there's never a shortage of theatrics on this floor. Jester in her queenliest manner decides that the trio must go set the party up and that it is the noblest task of them all. 

        Mollymauk and Nott laugh all the way to the car, Caleb grumbling behind them hiding a small smile with his hand. He might be warming up to the antics, he might even come to like them, eventually. Molly clambers into the driver's seat, banning Nott from the font and Caleb deciding that he was not anywhere near talkative enough to sit in the passenger seat. Molly pulls up the location on a map and starts heading in that direction, after about five minutes Caleb seriously wonders why he hasn't had his license taken away. 

        "Caleb, you. should really try and talk more. I think it'll be easier to talk to them if you just get used to it."

        "Ja, I know. I just do not know what to say." Caleb looks at his hands and sighs. He really did want to open up, it was just difficult to communicate so openly like everyone else did and especially in a language that wasn't his native tongue.

        "Try and hold a conversation with  _at least_ one person at the party tonight, for me?" Nott grins.

        "I will, Schatz." Caleb watches Nott's grin turn to a flustered scrunched up face at the nickname and he laughs, loud and hearty. Molly's heart warms just a little in the front seat at a sound he realizes he hasn't heard yet. Maybe he'll be the one Caleb talks to tonight.  _Hopefully,_ Molly smiles at his faint reflection in the windshield,  _even if he has to._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit longer this time! thank you <3


	3. Dream Lake Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jester & Cali are subtle lesbians, the Caleb-Can't-Talk trope, and we're all frustrated as per usual

          Halfway to the lake Caleb gets curious. "Where exactly is this lake?" He leans forward over the console and looks past Mollymauk to the road. "It's only 45 minutes west of here, it's not too big or fancy or anything like that," Molly muses, "Not that I would mind something lavish every once in a while." Caleb hums in response and turns Molly's reply over in his head for a few moments.

          "Why would we drag our party things 45 minutes out when we could have a party in one of the apartments?" Caleb furrows his brow.

          "Oh, you'll see," Molly says, trying to act as aloof as he can while manning a steering wheel.

          Caleb leans back, unsure of whether or not he's satisfied with any of those answers. He closes his eyes and dozes, hunched over awkwardly to rest his head on Nott's shoulder. Half asleep he hears music fade in, something upbeat and folk-ish soon joined by Molly's faint humming. Caleb doesn't know how much time passes while his eyes are closed, humming changes to a relaxed conversation between his companions and then comfortable silence. He's nudged awake eventually by who he assumes is Nott. She's standing outside his open car-door her hand on his shoulder as he rubs his eyes and takes a deep breath. Caleb opens his eyes slowly against the harsh oranges and pinks of sunset, and he can just make out Molly's deep purple curls tumbling over his shoulders as he leans into the car to wake him. 

          "Ah, we're here?" Caleb mumbles, setting his hand atop Molly's that rests on his shoulder. Molly moves his hand from under Caleb's and then reaches all the way over him to undo his seatbelt. Caleb can briefly make out all of the lavender, tangerine, and vanilla scents that drift from Mollymauk. He looks down, letting his tangled reddish hair tumble into his face to hide a faint blush crawling over his cheeks. Molly grabs his hand and pulls him from the car, gesturing widely with his other arm to the lake that stretched in front of them. Caleb had to admit, this was a stunning location. The shore, mostly pebbles and smooth rocks, stretched from treeline to treeline with the almost clear lake water lapping gently. "Oh, this is," Caleb begins, the fact that he was still clutching Molly's hand far away from his mind now, "Not quite what you expected?" Molly finishes and looks over to Caleb with a sharp-toothed grin. "Ja."

          Nott karate chops Caleb and Molly's hands apart with a cackle, breaking through them and stripping to just her tank top and shorts as she races to the water. She stops just when her toes touch the shoreline, and begins to walk along it searching the rocks for little treasures. Caleb laughs again and looks from Nott to Molly, just barely catching his eye before he glanced away. Caleb takes a moment to observe Molly in the gentle pink light, with water reflecting off of his skin faintly. He starts with Molly's hair, deep purple curls laying over his shoulders and trailing down his back, twined into braids here and there from spending nights with Yasha. His eyes trail to the peacock feathers starting high on his cheekbone, colors stark against his pale cheek. Caleb realizes he's never really gotten the chance to just  _look_ at Molly before now, and he commits this image him against a backdrop of orange sunset and crystal water to memory for another time.

          "Suppose we should set up before Jes n' Cali get here." Molly murmurs, his hand on his chin.

          "I'll help you out."

          They head back to the car, Molly pops the trunk, and they start unloading all of their (Jester Declared) party essentials. Caleb walks back with a couple folding chairs under one arm and an empty foam cooler in his other hand, Molly trailing behind him with bags of ice and speakers. "Nott! Could you find us some good firewood, darling?" Molly calls to her, cupping his hand around his mouth to reach her. Nott's made her way almost all the way to one treeline by now, but she perks up and turns around to give him a thumbs up and runs off into the woods. Caleb worries his lip a little, watching her fade into the trees. He knows he really doesn't have to worry, she's kind of badass, but something in him still wants to worry just for the sake of it. They spend the next 20 minutes setting up, ice in coolers, music playing over the speakers, and eventually Nott returns with an enormous armful of wood and they start a little fire in the center of the folding chairs.

          A beige PT Cruiser pulls up next to Molly's car and the rest of the Mighty Nine fumble out after Jester. She marches up to their party site and inspects for a moment, a stern look on her face that actually succeeds in making the setup trio a little nervous. Then she erupts into laughter, dragging Caleb into a hug and then racing to claim her seat. Beau tosses the assortment of drinks she picked up into the coolers and Fjord settles into the water, sitting in the shallows along the shore. Calianna sits in the chair right next to Jester, scooting in just a little bit so they can share a drink and hold hands by the fire. Caleb sits down across from the couple and watches, a bit glumly, as Nott and Yasha head off towards the trees and bushes. He feels someone settle on the ground next to his seat, and looks down to see Molly sitting with his legs out and a bottle of pink gin in hand. 

          "Care to share a drink with me?" Mollymauk smiles warmly up at him, and he can't help but give in.

          "Ja, sure. Uh, thank you." Caleb fumbles a bit, trying to act like he definitely knows how to talk to real people. 

          Molly opts for passing the bottle back and forth between them, chatting idly amongst themselves. Their conversation flows slowly, no real substance there, just quiet discussion about various things from Molly's tattoos to Caleb's favorite books. He thinks that this could be nice, getting close to Molly and becoming friends with him.  _This would please Nott,_ Caleb muses,  _I'll tell her all about it when we get home._ Caleb notices that he's calling it home now, and not just 'his apartment' and smiles softly at his hands in his lap.

          "Earth to Caleb." Molly swirls the contents of the gin bottle in his line of sight, snapping him out of his reverie. 

          "Oh, yes. Sorry. Ja, what did you ask me again?" Caleb chuckles, he's beginning to feel that gin in his cheeks and he can see that same gentle red staining Molly's cheeks and nose as well. He looks at the bottle in Molly's hand and sees it 3/4 of the way empty and realizes why he's feeling so boozed up even through his strong Zemnian tolerance, and he holds his hand out for it while he waits for the question.

          "I was asking about your home or where you came from before you fell in with these hooligans."

          "Ah, I um. I am Zemnian," Caleb is unsure if he even wants to talk about this to a near stranger but a combination of the alcohol and something about his new acquaintance gives him unusual courage, "I grew up on a farm with my parents, and then uh. Under some circumstances, I found myself here in Zadash."

          "Oh, I see," Mollymauk muses, "A farm boy." Caleb looks away, flustered by the term. Molly leans his arms on the edge of Caleb's chair and rests his chin on his arms, closing his eyes. Caleb decides that it's safe to look back over when he hears Molly settle in, and relaxes back into his seat. "Ja, you could- you could say that."

          "So, there's a gap there right? Between moving here and meeting us." Molly gestures vaguely to the group and Caleb begins to feel himself shying away from the conversation. "Y-yes there is. I met Nott soon after, but she did not meet you guys until recently." He cursed his fear of talking about himself openly and finds that he might be a bit jealous of Mollymauk and how he was so eloquent and open. "And what was our farmboy doing back in the _salad days._ " Caleb has no clue what that phrase means but he knows what Molly is implying and all of a sudden he's panicking and standing up, making sure the bottle doesn't tip when he sets it down and steadies himself before rushing off mumbling all sorts of apologies, even when he isn't within earshot of anyone. Molly stares bewildered at Caleb as he stumbles off towards Nott and Yasha, trying to figure out what he said that struck a nerve. His mood sours and he finishes the last of the gin before laying down in the pebbles and huffing a sigh.

          ~

          Nott doesn't question Caleb when he sulks up to where she and Yasha sit, organizing all of their picked flowers into neat piles. She just pats the grass next to her and he flops down leaning forward on his elbows to watch their work intently. Yasha's presence is comforting, even if he's not paying attention to their relaxed conversation, and Nott is just Nott. She's comforting in her own, hyper-active nocturnal way and he loves her. It's been dark for an hour or two now and he wonders how long these lake parties last, looking back out to the water to gauge what everyone's doing. He's relieved to see mostly everyone helping to pack up, save for Fjord who's still lying in the shallows with his eyes closed smiling. He pats the girls' shoulders as he stands, stumbling a little bit and walks over to the group to help with what he can. He's not very strong but Calianna hands him Jester's bag and some towels and asks him to put them in the trunk of her car. Caleb smiles and lays everything down gently in the trunk, making sure that Jester's bag isn't getting crushed by the vast amount of clutter from the party. He's only a little shocked at how much they managed to fit in the tiny trunk of the PT Cruiser, but it's impressive nonetheless.

          FJord opts to ride with Molly, which to Caleb's internal dismay means he gets shotgun. Fjord's sitting in the back on a towel after being banned from Cali's car for being too "lake-y". Caleb clambers into the front seat and leans his head against the window as Molly pulls away from the lake, now glowing with moonlight, and onto the road home. He glances at the driver's seat only a few times, and a couple times he sees Molly drinking a cup of (what he assumes is a day old) cold brew from a cafe near their apartment. He had totally forgotten that they had been drinking heavily before they left and sat up. 

         "Molly, would you like me to- to drive?"

         He looks over from the driver's seat with a bemused look, "Why? I mean, thank you for the offer, but," Caleb opens his mouth to speak again, hesitantly at first. "We were, well, drinking not too long ago. I do not know about you but I- I am not intoxicated." Molly smiles softly at the offer and pulls over, getting out of the front seat to switch sides. He catches Caleb in front of the car and sets his hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, darling." and continues on to the passenger seat. Molly gets comfortable quickly, pulling his feet up into the seat, and falls asleep with his head against the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song molly's listening to in the car is [dancing in the graveyards - delta rae](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b0esBTdrT4)


	4. Willkommen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone does real people things and Caleb doesn't really know how to deal with that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i'm finally getting a grasp on these characters. thank you for bearing with me! these characters mean a lot to me personally and this is really just me writing about some characters i like. i dont know if it's any good but if you have nice criticisms please feel welcome to comment <3

 

          The next few weeks are busy, the fall season sets in and brings new opportunities for all of them. Mollymauk is busy with auditions for fall musicals at all of the surrounding theatres, Beauregard and Fjord get accepted into nice schools and that takes up quite a chunk of their time, Jester and Cali start looking into opening a shop of some sorts (Caleb has heard them mention a bakery more often than anything else), and Yasha has been away visiting her hometown for a few weeks  _already._

          Caleb really only notices the seasonal change when Nott comes in humming some holiday song he vaguely recognizes. Sure, he might have noticed the crunchy leaves on the ground or the slight chill in the early morning air on his way to the bookstore, but that doesn't mean he's been paying attention to what day (or even month) it is. Nott flops down on the couch across from where he's sitting on the floor, staring into his laptop resting on the low coffee table. He takes a moment to click on the calendar, and wonders where the past month has gone when he sees that it's already the 3rd of Quen'pillar. He opens the browser again and goes back to the, frankly, mundane research he was doing. Even Caleb could admit that this was mundane. And that maybe he needed to get out and do something.

          "Schatz," Caleb closes his laptop gently and slides it aside, laying his arms on the table and resting his cheek on them.

          "What's up?" Nott opens one eye, still curled up neatly on the sofa.

          "Everyone's been really busy lately, ja?" He can't tell if he sounds sad or what, but Nott gives him a strange look that probably means,  _oh Caleb._ Either way it makes him feel weird, and maybe he is a bit sad. Only a little bit.

          "Yeah, they've all been off doing real people things I guess." She sighs, closing her eye again and shifting to lay on her back with her arms folded behind her head..  _Real people things,_ Caleb thinks,  _Do I not do 'real people' things?_   "We really do not do much, do we." It's not really a question and they both know that, it's just an understood thing between them. Caleb is easily overwhelmed and Nott prefers to lie low. 

          " _Real people things?"_ Caleb can't shake the phrase from his head, it speaks to how much he really hasn't left the house lately to do anything besides go to work. "Yeah it's like, _you know,_ when people leave and go do things just becau-" Nott bolts upright mid-sentence when the door slams open, interrupted by some very loud and very clearly  _Mollymauk_ singing. Caleb lifts his head up to look at the door.

          Molly stands glamorously in the doorway, one arm uncomfortably slung around Yasha's shoulders and the other thrown out in a wild gesture. He's dressed in some "fashionably" baggy pants and a black crop top, decked to the nines in his usual gaudy jewelry and his hair thrown into a high ponytail. His feet are sock-clad and Caleb forgot how short the man really is without an absurd number of inches added from his shoes.

          " _Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome!"_

          It's some strange show tune that he doesn't recognize, and all he knows is that Molly's Zemnian accent could use some work. Yasha is standing at his side, smiling amusedly and absolutely not participating which seems to irk Molly because he retracts his arm and quickly reaches for Caleb's hand and hoists him off the ground. Caleb tries to steady himself and grips Molly's hand tight so he doesn't slip as he gets pulled from the floor abruptly. 

          " _Fremde, étranger, stranger!"_

Molly pulls Caleb to his chest and laughs a little bit, holding their hands out as if they were about to waltz. A few locks of ruddy hair fall into Caleb's eyes when he looks down to hide an entertained smile. He'd like to say he's never seen Molly this  _theatrical_ before but, well, he's just never been  _involved_.

          " _Glücklich zu sehen, Je suis enchanté, happy to see you,"_ Molly twirls him out and back in, catching him deftly when he stumbles back almost out of his reach. All of a sudden Caleb's laughing. Like _really_ laughing. He's leaning his head back against Mollymauk's shoulder and he can feel the laughter rumbling in Caleb's chest. It's really only the second time he's heard him laugh like this and it's just as infectious and enticing as the last time. "Oh," Caleb manages in between giggles, "Oh Mollymauk you are a wonder!" with that he pulls away from Molly's chest and turns to look at him. Yasha and Nott have disappeared now, probably to go look at the new flora she collected on her most recent travels. 

         "Caleb I got a part. Well,  _Several,_ but that's beside the point." Molly pushes some fallen curls back behind his ear and beams. "You seem chipper," Caleb touches Molly's cheek before he steps away and sits down on the couch and pulls his legs up and Molly continues to give him that ridiculous toothy smile, "What is that song from? I am curious." Caleb scoots a little, implying that he wants him to sit down. "It's from a musical called Cabaret, I got a part." He says incredulously like he wasn't expecting to get the part at all, and he seems to be very pleased with himself. Seeing Molly so pleased sends warmth spreading through Caleb's chest because as lively as Molly is, it is sometimes easy to see that he isn't always that happy. 

         "I'm very happy for you, Mollymauk. I take it you wanted this part?" 

         "Are you kidding me? I wrote it on the audition form _at least_ 15 times." He cackles maniacally and collapses onto Caleb's shoulder with a content sigh. Caleb wraps his arm around Molly's shoulder and thinks for a few moments. There's companionable silence and Molly swears to him a few times that he can practically  _hear_ the gears in Caleb's head turning. "Would you like some help with your accent? You spoke some Zemnian." He feels Molly's cheek smush on his shoulder as he looks up at him. 

         "I think I'd like that. My accent's pretty bad, isn't it?" and they go back to their silence.

 

         Caleb had avoided Mollymauk for a week or two after he panicked at the lake. It hadn't offended Molly or anything like that, and both Beau and Yasha tried to explain that to him but he was dead set on sulking. Nott eventually coaxed Caleb into telling her what happened, and she carefully talked to him about his boundaries and that it's okay to tell Molly that talking about certain things is overwhelming for him. Caleb just nodded and let his brain turn his thoughts over until they were gibberish. Even if they weren't that close he had missed the man's theatrical shenanigans and his absolutely lovely and overbearing personality. He even knew that Mollymauk hadn't been trying to hurt him when he asked that question, that he was just curious because he's _interested_ in Caleb. That's a weird thought to him, that someone is interested in him, and he takes some time to think about what that really means before coming back to the idea of building some sort of relationship with Molly. Caleb truly had no clue what he wanted and he figured Molly didn't either and decided to, against his years of better judgment,  _wing it._ Something he has literally never done before in his life. 

         It's weird for Caleb to suddenly jump back into this friendship, not really realizing until now how much he missed it. Of course, he had the others and they all had their unique relationships with him, but Molly was different. He didn't know  _how_ quite yet, but Molly was definitely different. For one thing, not many of the others have actually, genuinely, asked him anything about himself besides the bare basics. While Mollymauk, on the other hand, was asking questions about his 3rd great grandmother on his father's side and what his favorite font was. 

         It isn't until Jester barges in with Fjord in tow carrying armfuls of takeout that Caleb notices he's been thinking for probably a very long time, and Mollymauk is drooling lightly on his shoulder fast asleep. His phone is always on silent and he probably has thousands of messages from Jester about this but he could always use some spontaneity. Or, he doesn't think so at least, but maybe some would be good for him in the long run. He looks down at Molly as his nose twitches a little bit, and then scrunches up as he opens his eyes blearily. Beau and Cali are not far behind, inviting themselves through the open door with plastic bags. Caleb already has his theories when Nott and Yasha show up, Nott on the large woman's shoulders cheering and narrowly avoiding her forehead meeting the doorway. Molly stretches, leaning back against the cushions and letting even more of his stomach show from under his shirt and groans, coupled with a few pops here and there. He goes limp, lying there for a moment with his arm over his eyes, a faint smile. Caleb seizes this spare moment to observe Molly more, to add to his memory "camera roll" (that's what Nott calls it). Molly is lithe, not spectacularly so, but he's lean. His ponytail has been pulled a little loose, and his bright green binder is peeking out from under his crop top. Molly's smile is sleepy and Caleb hears his stomach growl a little before he jumps up and follows the crowd to their small kitchen. Caleb sighs and closes the door before following.

 

        Caleb's theories are confirmed, when they all pile food onto paper plates and sit around the coffee table in the living room. Fjord was worried that with him and Beau at school all the time, and just everyone being a little busier than usual, that they weren't spending enough time together so he suggested family dinner.  _Family,_ Caleb thinks when the word comes out of Jester's mouth. Something blooms in his chest and he can't quite identify it.  _Longing?_ He suggests internally. He decides on the word yearning and picks at his food lightly. Family dinner.

        The evening is lively, Cali and Jester brought board games and they're in a heated team match of Sorry. Nott has only flipped the board once because Beau sent two of her pieces back to start in a row. Every time someone gets a Sorry card she screams, and Caleb bursts into laughter. Yasha has absolutely no clue how to play this game and as many times as Mollymauk has tried to explain it to her, they all eventually decide to let her play by her own rules. Halfway through their fourth game of Clue, Cali guesses the killer on a whim and Jester cheers. It quiets a little bit as they decide what to play next.

 

        "I uh, I really missed you guys." Beau murmurs, looking sheepish.

        "We didn't go anywhere!" Jester laughs, and Beau hides her face behind her cards.

        " _Ijustfeellikewehaven'tseeneachotherinforever._ " Everyone looks at each other for a second, befuddled.

        "Ja, I agree. I have missed you all." Caleb reassures Beau and leans over to grab the monopoly box. 

        It dawns on them all, individually, that they really haven't seen each other properly in a while. They've just been so busy with the turn of the season, and it's not a  _great_ excuse but now they have this new tradition and that's all they need. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [willkommen - alan cummings (cabaret)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgpu6NcaoWU)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> i feel like the emcee from cabaret is actually the ultimate role for mollymauk tealeaf


	5. interlude

One (1) New message! From: Yasha

**_Yasha_ [7:03 PM]: ** Caleb will you bring your uh

**_Yasha_ [7:03 PM]: ** Your Cat to me.

**_Yasha_ [7:04 PM]: ** You dont have to tho it's OK

**_Yasha_ [7:06 PM]: ** Can I come over then?

**_Me_  [7:08 PM]: **oh sorry Yash I did not see your text

**_Me_  [7:08 PM]: **yes I will bring my katze

**_Me_  [7:09 PM]: **see you momentarily

 

 ✓ _read 7:11 PM_

 

* * *

 

One (1) New message! From: BBF❀(BigBestFriend)

**_BBF_ ❀ [7:10 PM]: **Moll Caleb is bringing his "katze"

**_BBF_ ❀[7:10 PM]: **He will be here soon.

 

✓ _delivered 7:10 PM_

* * *

One (1) New message! From: Mollymauk ♕

**_Mollymauk_ ♕ [7:20 PM]: **YASHA I STG

**_Mollymauk_ ♕ [7:20 PM]: **THIS IS A DIRE EMERGENCY

**_Mollymauk_ ♕ [7:20 PM]: **I SHIT YOU NOT CALEB JUST SAW MY BARE ASS

**_Mollymauk_ ♕ [7:21 PM]: **I DIDNT SEE YOUR TEXT

**_Mollymauk_ ♕ [7:21 PM]: **I WAS LITERALLY IN THE FUCKING LIVING ROOM BUTTASS NUDE 

 

✓ _ read 7:23 PM _

_**Mollymauk**_ **♕** **[7:22 PM]:** YASHA

 

* * *

 One (1) New message! From: Caleb ಠ_ಠ

**C _aleb_ ಠ_ಠ [7:25 PM]: **i left frumpkin in your living room

**_Me_  [7:25 PM]: **Oh

**C _aleb_ ಠ_ಠ [7:26 PM]: **keep him. 

**C _aleb_ ಠ_ಠ [7:26 PM]: **i can never return

 

✓ _ read 7:27 PM _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yasha turns her phone off and just looks at frumpkin


End file.
